Summer Camp
Summer Camp is a sleep-away Christian Camping Program of Camp Deerpark for children ages 8-13 and teens ages 14-16. Summer Camp for children typically runs Sun-Fri for 5 consecutive weeks in July and August with children attending any number of weeks and returning home every weekend.
Parents and Potential Campers: Summer Camp Page | Program Info | FAQs
Staff Resources: Summer Staff Manual
Ministry Model
Summer Camp uses The Journey Map discipleship framework for our Camper-Staff Discipleship, and Staff Development Discipleship which is the core of our ministry. This framework uses the Belong > Become > Believe progression for human spiritual journey at all ages and stages for both individuals and groups.
A similar resource applying the Belong > Become > Believe progression to multi-ethnic children’s ministry: Katey Hage: Belong, Become, Believe: A New Model for Children’s Ministry Building toward a Holistic Vision of Discipleship and Diversity in Multi-Ethnic Children’s Ministry. Seattle Pacific University Digital Commons, January 1, 2018. https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=spseminary_etd
History
Summer Camp has happened in some form at Camp Deerpark every year since July 1969, two months after the camp was founded — with the exception of 2020 during the COVID-19 Pandemic. You can read about Summer Camp experiences in Chapter 2 “Children’s Camp” in the Forever God is Faithful history book available in paperback and online.
Related Entries
Share:
How Do You Define Mission?
When somebody says “I’m on a mission”, what do you think of? If the word is said in church, what is the first thing that comes to mind? You may think of someone clutching a Bible in a jeep jostling down jungle roads. Or you cold be thinking of a caring staff at an remote…
A Special Request for Baby Vivian
Serving God, while the greatest of blessings, is no guarantee that everything will go well in life. Tragedy, difficulty, and suffering can find any of us at any moment, and when it does, the people of God are essential in helping us navigate the valleys of shadow with Jesus by our side. Ben Gosnell came…
You Can Always Come Home
In the pursuit of mission, I’ve moved around a lot as an adult. To be perfectly honest, I haven’t found a place since Mom and Dad’s house that I felt was mine — a place I could call home. If you find yourself longing for home, you’re in some pretty good company. It says in…
Map Makers Project
Camp is a big place and we have some big plans. But this raises a big question: Just where is everything? In the past, we asked around and maybe somebody would know. Now, we’d like to get all that information down on a map. We’ll use it to maintain the grounds, plan maintenance projects, and…
Welcoming Wisdom: Cabin 2 Opens in Promise Woods
We’re very pleased to announce that Cabin 2 “Wisdom” is now open in Promise Woods for retreat groups and other guests. Wisdom is our 5th (of 6) bunk cabin to be completed and it sleeps 10 in the spacious bunk room and two more in the cozy bedroom. Like all of our camper-style cabins, it…
Homecoming $20k Match: Investing in Camp is investing in each other!
When someone gives a gift to Camp, they’re not just supporting our organization. Their gift is actually an investment in the life of our community of churches. They are demonstrating their faith in the vision Jesus has of life together: that our fellowship has the power the change us and the world. In this faith,…
Signs and The Summer Camp High
Some people talk about “The Summer Camp High” as if it’s not real. I have to admit, I did too. It’s an easy target: people come back buzzing with energy and excitement and ready to be really spiritual and maybe even change the world. But by the time school starts again, where has all that…
Get Your Hands Dirty: Facilities Position Opening
Camp is an amazing place for fellowship and ministry. But it only stays that way due to tireless and creative work of our dedicated Maintenance Staff. We’re looking for a Team Member who will take on the care of our buildings, equipment, and grounds as a ministry to the youth, families, and churches of New…
Reflection on 33 Years of Service
Ken Bontrager has been away from Camp for a few months now enjoying semi-retirement in Florida. He spent a bit of this time happily mowing a golf course while he reflected on his time in New York. Ken will be back with us at Homecoming on September 7. We’ll have a special time to connect…
- « Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3